How to: Motivate Yourself (Part 2)

Malti Bhojwani is a experienced, certified, and fully trained life coach who offers her services at Multi Coaching International. She's helped scores of corporates, educational institutes, and individuals better themselves using her unique coaching techniques. She's also on MensXP's expert panel; begin the process of self-improvement by asking her a question.

In case you missed part 1 of her series, read that first before you proceed to the rest of Malti's tried-and-tested tips on how to motivate yourself.

Getting Uncomfortable to Get Ahead

We all have excuses and reasons to feel "out of it" some days. We are affected by our moods, the weather, the tide, the moon's phases, planet alignments, what we ate or drank that day, whether we heard from the girl we’re infatuated with, our weight, the stock market, the traffic or even a pimple! Everything affects our mood, but it is important to stay focused on what we want.

All in all, it is normal to feel a little low and out of it sometimes. It’s just means it's time to shake things up a bit. When you are feeling bored and complacent, you need to do that little bit more and get uncomfortable. Changing your surroundings or the way you do things is a great way to stimulate your mind to come up with more ideas. It's like a muscle that needs to work a little harder; you just need to kick it into gear so it can starting firing the neurotransmitters that stimulate creativity.

Drive a different route to work, wear your watch on the other hand, or even try eating or texting with your other hand. Make efforts to meet different people, approach the ones that make you uncomfortable, or strike up a conversation with a colleague that you have never spoken to. New conversations and new paths give you the opportunity to turn off your own mental chatter, which thrives when things are “normal." This will force you to relate, see and think differently.

Comfort is Your Enemy

When you are too comfortable, you have probably already achieved many of your desires and goals, and you are so used to doing the same thing week in and week out that there is no motivation to deviate from the routine. At work, when you are only doing what comes naturally and what is expected of you in order to “get-by,” you are not stretching yourself and definitely not growing.I see "discomfort" as an opportunity. Often when I feel a little uncomfortable or lazy to do something that rationally I know could be good for me, I know that I need to stretch myself. We only grow when we break out of our comfort zones. Just like at the gym, you know that only when an exercise is a little hard to do that you are actually working the muscle.

Another example is going for a run even when it's drizzling or overcast. This means that your commitment to staying fit and healthy is much stronger than your need to stay comfortable and dry at home. You are not letting excuses run your life!

What You Resist the Most is Often the Best Thing for You

If it's too easy to do and you are too comfortable, you are still only staying within your comfort zone. This is a sure sign that you are not stretching yourself and therefore, not growing. On the other hand, if you find that you come up against some resistance to do something everyday (within reasonable limits, of course), then that's exactly the thing you ought to be doing.

For example, I often dread getting dressed up and going out on weeknights for networking evenings. But I know that they will enhance my work life, not to mention I might meet interesting people. In fact, every time I have ended up at an event that I previously resisted going to, I have met at least one person who has enriched my life either through the conversation we've had or the work they do. My point is, what I resist most is what I need to do in order to not be complacent. So get uncomfortable and stretch yourself!Note: We all have different pain and comfort thresholds. Pay attention to your instincts. If something feels wrong, too hard and too painful, check to see if maybe it is wrong, dangerous or unwise for you to do it.